Kesimal Bedia, Kocamış Sücattin İlker
Department of Ophthalmology, Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
Clin Exp Optom. 2025 Apr 21:1-7. doi: 10.1080/08164622.2025.2486701.
YouTube is a widely used medical information source, offering educational content on health conditions and treatments. However, its unregulated nature raises concerns about accuracy, reliability, and accessibility. Assessing online medical content quality is important to ensure that patients receive credible, evidence-based guidance.
Keratoconus is a progressive corneal disorder that can lead to visual impairment. Corneal cross-linking (CXL) is an effective treatment that strengthens the corneal structure and halts disease progression. YouTube is frequently used by patients seeking information about diseases and treatments. This study aimed to evaluate the quality and reliability of YouTube videos on CXL.
A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on YouTube videos related to CXL. Five commonly searched keywords were identified using Google Trends, and a YouTube search was performed. Among the first 100 videos ranked by relevance, 69 met the inclusion criteria. Video characteristics, including source, content type, narrator gender, and accessibility features, were recorded. Quality and reliability were assessed using the DISCERN, Global Quality Score (GQS), and Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) scoring systems. Statistical analyses examined differences in video quality based on information source and gender.
The overall quality of YouTube videos on CXL was average, with a mean DISCERN score of 42.5 ± 11.8, GQS of 3.28 ± 0.94, and JAMA score of 2.75 ± 0.68. Videos uploaded by clinicians (39.1%) and health channels (31.9%) had significantly higher quality scores than patient-uploaded videos (29%) ( < 0.05). No significant correlation was found between video popularity and quality metrics. Narrator gender had no significant effect on video quality or popularity metrics ( > 0.05).
While clinician- and health channel-produced videos demonstrated higher quality, this did not translate into greater engagement, highlighting a disconnect between popularity and informational value.
YouTube是一个广泛使用的医学信息来源，提供有关健康状况和治疗方法的教育内容。然而，其不受监管的性质引发了对准确性、可靠性和可及性的担忧。评估在线医学内容质量对于确保患者获得可靠的、基于证据的指导非常重要。
圆锥角膜是一种渐进性角膜疾病，可导致视力损害。角膜交联（CXL）是一种有效的治疗方法，可强化角膜结构并阻止疾病进展。YouTube经常被寻求疾病和治疗信息的患者使用。本研究旨在评估YouTube上关于CXL的视频的质量和可靠性。
对YouTube上与CXL相关的视频进行横断面分析。使用谷歌趋势确定了五个常用搜索关键词，并在YouTube上进行了搜索。在按相关性排名的前100个视频中，69个符合纳入标准。记录视频特征，包括来源、内容类型、叙述者性别和可及性特征。使用DISCERN、全球质量评分（GQS）和美国医学会杂志（JAMA）评分系统评估质量和可靠性。统计分析检查了基于信息来源和性别的视频质量差异。
YouTube上关于CXL的视频总体质量一般，DISCERN平均评分为42.5±11.8，GQS为3.28±0.94，JAMA评分为2.75±0.68。临床医生上传的视频（39.1%）和健康频道上传的视频（31.9%）的质量得分显著高于患者上传的视频（29%）（P<0.05）。视频受欢迎程度与质量指标之间未发现显著相关性。叙述者性别对视频质量或受欢迎程度指标没有显著影响（P>0.05）。
虽然临床医生和健康频道制作的视频质量较高，但这并没有转化为更高的参与度，凸显了受欢迎程度与信息价值之间的脱节。
